Offaly town's significance in country's industrial heritage highlighted

THE significant role played by Clara in Ireland's industrial story has been highlighted in a new publication launched last week.

“100 years of Clara history: A Goodbody family perspective”, edited by J. Harold Goodbody and Michael Goodbody, documents the diaries of the two members of the enterprising family, Harold Goodbody and his great-aunt Lydia Goodbody.

Clara has been long associated with the textile industry and the Goodbody family developed the country's largest jute factory which ran as a successful business for over 100 years from its establishment in 1864.

Reading the diaries of his great-aunt during World War II, Harold Goodbody realised she had kept a day-to-day record of how the industry had been created and how it and her family's flour milling activities had supported the local community.

Harold made extracts of the more relevant parts of the diaries and added his own notes and recollections, creating a history of the Goodbody family and how a modest Offaly village was turned into one of Ireland's leading industrial centres.

The new publication sees his work edited into what is a valuable local history resource.

Harold's own historical research, covering the period from the late 1880s to the 1940s, is particularly insightful in the context of a period of significant change in Ireland and in the fortunes of Clara.

Almost 200 people attended the launch, organised by Clara Heritage Society in the local GAA centre. The book was formally launched by local TD, Barry Cowen.

Bernie Henry, Chairperson of the Heritage Society, also revealed that her group is archiving stories of Clara's industrial past.

“The historical industries of Clara were not confined to the textile and flour industry but extended to distilling, bog works and agriculture,” she outlined.

Ms Henry suggested: “This little town has an abundance of important ingredients that could allow for the development of a National Industrial Museum here.”

In a lengthy address Ms Henry charted the story of Clara back to the 12th century when St Brigid's Abbey was founded at Kilbride.

“Up in the burial grounds of Kilbride one can see on the headstones names that continue to be heard in the town today, such as Geoghegan, Shanley, Sheridan and Flattery,” said Ms Henry who joked she was a blow-in having lived a mere 40 years in the town.

The Heritage Society Chairperson said it, in partnership with other groups, hope “that this little town will be able to provide a comfortable existence for our children's children, while maintaining that great sense of community and respect for our built and social heritage.”

Ms Henry welcomed all the invited guests, in particular members of the Goodbody family and Master of Ceremonies at the launch, Tara McGrath who is the webmaster behind their very active social media and website postings.

Michael Byrne, Secretary of Offaly Historical and Archaeological Society, spoke on behalf of Michael Goodbody, who could not be present at the launch.

Reading a letter from the book's editor, Mr Byrne said “I would like to thank the Clara Heritage Society for hosting the launch of this book and hope you have a very successful evening. I would very much like to have been with you and certainly would have been under normal circumstances.”

“My memories of Clara go back to the first time I came here as a teenager during the 1950s. It has always fascinated me and my interest in Quaker history stems from my Clara roots. One Hundred Years of Clara History is largely based on the research and writings of Harold Goodbody and the wonderful nineteenth century diaries kept by his aunt Lydia. At the time of my first visit Harold had been dead for less than ten years and those of you who may remember him will also know that the town then was still much as he described it.

“However this hundred years is only one part of Clara’s interesting history for, as you will know, the district was once a major flax growing and linen centre, long before the Goodbodys came. I am delighted that the Clara Heritage Society is also exploring these other areas of its past.

“Lastly I would like to thank Offaly History and Offaly County Archives for enabling the publication and especially Michael Byrne, who has given me so much support and originally suggested it.”

In his own comments Mr Byrne on behalf of the committee of Offaly History and the members thanked the Decade of Commemorations Unit in the  Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Offaly County Council, Heritage Officer Amanda Pedlow and Clara Heritage Society, especially Bernie Henry and Tara McGrath who have done so much.

He noted that of the dozen or so books on aspects of the history of Clara since 1965 at least four have been connected with the jute and flour mills and the Goodbody family. “100 years of Clara history” mediates the industrial history through the voice of two family members Lydia Goodbody and Harold Goodbody – both interesting people and taking us in the case of Lydia over a broad sweep of history but with important local history nuggets waiting to be found. The work of Harold is more concentrated on the period from the late 1880s when Lydia’s diary ends with her death and on to the years of the Second World War.

“100 years of Clara is from a Goodbody perspective, but there is much there that we hope will stimulate others to research other aspects of Clara’s history,” he stressed.